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With the quartet of Ajax, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Porto booking their spots in the quarterfinals, the second round of the UCL 2018-19 round-of-16 second leg fixtures resume today and one tie which would be grabbing people's attention is the matchup between Juventus and Atletico Madrid at the Juventus Stadium.
The Spaniards come into the tie firmly in the driving seat, having put up a gritty performance in the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano to record a 2-0 victory.
Atleti might have one foot in the last eight, but as the game between PSG and Manchester United showed us, this tie is far from over and Juventus would still fancy their chances of going through at their visitor's expense. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at three players who could decide the tie in Juve's favour.
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#3 Giorgio Chiellini
Juve's failure to record an away goal in Madrid means that extra pressure would be on their defence to stop Atletico Madrid from scoring, because for every goal scored by Simeone's men, the Serie A giants have to score three more in order to advance, and it is here that the services of Giorgio Chiellini come to the fore.
The 34-year-old has earned a reputation of being a clinical no-nonsense defender over the course of his career, possessing that grit and determination which has been associated with Italian centre-backs throughout history.
On the 19 occasions where he has played in Serie A this season, the Bianconerri have kept 12 clean sheets, while conceding just 9 goals at the rate of one goal every 164 minutes.
Chiellini would be charged with keeping the likes of Alvaro Morata and Griezmann at bay, while Ronaldo and his more attack-minded teammates do the job upfront.
Juventus need to put their defensive A game on if they are to progress, and Chiellini would have a major role to play, while his strength in attacking setpieces could also come in handy as an attacking weapon for Max Allegri.
#2 Mario Mandzukic
While Cristiano Ronaldo might be the undisputed superstar in the Juventus lineup, and rightly so on the virtue of all that he has achieved throughout his career, Mario Mandzukic is also a decent forward in his own right.
His Portuguese teammate's high profile means that much of Atletico Madrid's focus would be on him and it is here where Mandzukic could be at his deadliest, as he could take advantage of the extra space afforded him to sink the Spaniards.
Strong, good in the air, and technically proficient, Mandzukic is almost the quintessential definition of a complete centre-forward and possesses the ability to hurt any opposition if given the opportunity.
Though he might not be the most clinical of forwards (evidenced by his low scoring totals), what he lacks for in numbers, he more than makes up for in hard work and all-round contribution, enabling his strike partners to feed off his grit.
Mandzukic also spent one year in the colours of Atletico during the 2014-15 season where he scored 20 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions and this inside knowledge of most of the Rojiblancos players could work in Juventus's favour.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
There weren't going to be prizes for guessing the number one name on this list, as arguably no single player has had an impact on this tournament in the way this man has.
He is the record goalscorer in the history of the UCL, helping Real win four of the last five tournaments, including the last three consecutively, and it is for his superhuman displays in this competition Juventus paid a club record fee to land his services in the summer.
Having distinguished himself on the continent over the years, Ronaldo earned himself the moniker - 'Mr Champions League' and this is an epithet fully deserved, and with him within their ranks, Juventus can be confident of pulling off this unfancied victory.
Though Atleti might be in the driving seat, it would be foolhardy for anyone to write off the Bianconerri just yet, as their number 7 can turn this tie around in just minutes.
CR7 has found himself in this situation before when Real Madrid shockingly fell 2-0 away to a Julian Draxler inspired Wolfsburg at the quarterfinal stage, with many dismissing a Los Blancos comeback as impossible.
However, in typical Ronaldo fashion, 'impossible is nothing', and the Portuguese record goalscorer turned the second leg on its head, scoring a memorable hat-trick in a 3-0 victory to send Real through to the semifinal en route what was the first of their three consecutive UCL triumphs, and a similar performance here would see Juventus progress.
Atleti on their part know all too well about the Juventus man, having been on the receiving end of his scoring boot a total of 22 times in the 31 matches they have played against him (making them the third favourite opponents of his illustrious career).
Of these 22, two were hat-tricks scored in the same season at their former home ground, including a trio of goals in the 3-0 victory in the UCL semifinal first leg in 2017 at the Santiago Bernabeu, so Atleti players more than any others would know better than to rule out the 34-year-old.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man - it is game time in the Champions League and 'Mr Champions League' has his game face on. Watch out Atletico!
